An attack on a neural device would allow an adversary to manipulate the parameters of the device, which allows the alteration of its functions, without even the need to be physically close to the victim.
Attacks demonstrated in the laboratory have warned of the possibility of disabling or altering therapies, which could cause a state of shock to a patient carrying an implantable medical device, such as a neurostimulator. This fact has caused the alarm of the FDA (U.S Food and Drug Administration).
We are at a perfect time for the development of these security measures. This project aims to propose measures that will be assessed for implementation in neural devices, thus protecting them against various attacks.
The following figure summarises the attacks that can be carried out on a neurostimulator:
In the following video you can see an interview with two hackers who attacked an IMD and the alert launched by the FDA: